


Totally Just Allergies.

by I_Am_Bella_Donna



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Crying, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Is A Good Friend, Deceit | Janus Sanders Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sick Deceit | Janus Sanders, Sickfic, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, The Author Regrets Everything, Unsympathetic Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Unsympathetic Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, vent fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29100837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Am_Bella_Donna/pseuds/I_Am_Bella_Donna
Summary: Sore throat.Congestion.Chills.Feverish feeling.Aching.Craving of death.…It's probably seasonal allergies.OR:Janus hates allergies and everything else.
Relationships: Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders & Everyone
Comments: 36
Kudos: 110





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is. It is not proof read, even by me. This is just me dumping my issues onto Janus. 
> 
> Would I much rather work on my other stories? Yup. Do I have the energy to? Nope. This was basically stream of consciousness-style. No idea how coherent it is.
> 
> Also Written by Wolves is a good band. Just found them. Promise Me is probably my new favorite song.
> 
> Onto the story; read at your own risk. Warning for terrible writing. I think. I really have no idea what I wrote by this point.

Janus enjoyed philosophical debates as much as the next Side. They were lively and stimulating, and  _ totally _ never annoying. Not even when the opposing party strapped giant wads of pure denial over their ears and refused to so much as hear him out.

But at the moment….

If he had to spend  _ one _ more minute arguing with the goddamn Light Sides about hypothetical scenarios, he would start screaming loud enough to make even  _ Remus _ look tame in comparison.

Janus shifted uncomfortably, leaning sideways onto the railing of the stairs. His head was pounding rhythmically, pulsing with pain every few seconds. The front of his face hurt from congestion—not the type that stuffed his nose beyond belief, but the type that drained back into his throat until it felt like someone repeatedly tried and failed to stab his uvula. 

He wanted nothing more than to sit down and take the weight off of his aching legs, but that would lead to the usual accusations and interrogations.  _ Oh, the snake is sitting down? He must be involved in a dastardly plot to sabotage everyone’s shoes! _

It genuinely would not surprise him, especially considering how Roman had accused him of trying to destroy Patton’s cat hoodie the previous week. All Janus had done was try and hand it to him  _ after Patton had asked him to _ .

And speak of the angel….

“Aw, c’mon, guys!” Patton pleaded with the others. “Logan, Roman, Virgil—can’t you see that Janus is giving us a really good suggestion here?”

Virgil scoffed. “Since when is it a ‘good idea’ to skip an event just because of stupid wimpiness? We  _ promised _ Lee and Mary Lee that we would go to IKEA with them to buy furniture for their new apartment?”

“But Thomas is really tired!” Patton exclaimed. “ He’s been getting less than six hours of sleep every night for the past  _ week _ . Kiddo, doesn’t he deserve a little break to sleep in?”

“I don’t know,  _ does he _ ?” Roman muttered, disgruntled. He rounded his gaze on Patton, expression so spiteful that even Janus… _ totally _ did not flinch at it.

Nope. That was just his head again. Only his head, and nothing else.

_ Stupid allergies, _ he thought to himself. That was likely all it was. It was odd that as a  _ Side _ , he experienced seasonal allergies, but unfortunately, it was simply his life. They were better or worse depending on Thomas’s exposure to pollen and the outdoors, but this year was far worse than normal.

He would willingly subjugate himself to Remus’s torture experiments if it meant putting a stop to this  _ utter hell _ .

“Deceit?” Logan’s cool voice broke through his haze. He blinked and glanced at the other, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes?” he asked, refusing to wince at the way invisible cat claws dragged themselves down the interior of his throat.

Roman threw his hands up in the air. “Oh, would you look at that! He’s not even listening!”

Janus rolled his eyes. “ _ Please forgive me _ for losing interest in the conversation after hearing the  _ same baseless argument _ repeated approximately  _ eight _ times!”

“Do you see, Patton?” Virgil asked, gesturing wildly to Janus. “This snake doesn’t even care! Why should we let him here if he isn’t going to give it his all?!”

“Like you’re so perfect, Virgil,” Janus said dangerously. “If I recall, the  _ last _ time we actually  _ needed _ to have an important conversation, you just locked yourself in your room. So do  _ not _ berate me for simply being distracted when you yourself have made the same mistakes in the past.”

_ “Please!” _ Roman laughed, ice seeping into his tone. “At least Virgil is actually  _ wanted _ here! None of us want  _ you _ around. If you aren’t going to give us your all, why do we even need you here? Your function is worthless right now!”

_ Worthless. _

Janus felt himself freeze at the words. He tried to scrape up his usual witty retorts; the arguments he had constructed against his own insecurities. Maybe if he had been in his right state of mind, he would have been able to scrape his broken pride off the floor and carry on like nothing happened. Maybe, if he wasn’t so distracted by how uncomfortable his scratchy outfit felt against his clammy skin. Too hot against his skin; too cold against the air; his throat was on fire; and why did it feel like  _ invisible tiny people were dancing around the inside of his sinuses— _

At this point, Janus was fed  _ up _ by his allergies.  _ Of  _ course _ they’re just allergies. It’s not like this is  _ possibly _ anything worse _ . Drained of any will to fight another verbal battle, he simply let out a bitter laugh. 

“Fine,” he muttered, and sank out.

He rose up in the Dark Side commons and immediately threw off his shoes, socks, capelet, hat, and gloves before collapsing on the couch. He had work to do, but right now, all he wanted to do was scream into oblivion.

_ Fuck this. Fuck the Light Sides, _ Janus thought as he buried his face into the pillow. He wanted to throw something—to hit something—but he had no energy to do it. Much to his frustration, he found his eyes welling with tears.  _ Fuck Lee and Mary Lee. Fuck phisolophy. _

_ “Just fuck everything!” _

“Well, if you wanted to, all you had to do was say so!”

Shit. 

Janus didn’t roll over, simply giving the other the middle finger as he focused on keeping his composure. He loved Remus—really, they were more like brothers than Remus and Roman—but right now, he just. Couldn’t. Deal. With. It.

Something poked into his back, then again a few seconds later. 

“Janus. Jaaaanus,” Remus said cheerfully. “If you’re done laying around, I wanna show you the idea I had!”

Janus shook Remus’s hand off roughly. “Let me rest, you trash gremlin,” he said, his voice muffled.

“What was that? Couldn’t hear the bullshit through that mouthful of pillo—”

_ “Leave me alone, Remus!” _ Janus shouted into the pillow, instantly regretting it as the other fell silent.

There was a pause, before Janus heard Remus laugh. “Well, okay there, J-anus. I guess my  _ best friend _ is abandoning me. Looks like I have to disown his scaly ass now! Have fun writing your own stories for horror night, buddy.”

And Janus knew…he fucking  _ knew _ that Remus was teasing him. The other did not usually take things to heart, and the pair could read each other well enough to tell when they were serious and when they were joking. 

Janus knew that Remus likely meant to annoy him a bit and let him rest for a few hours, then check on him at dinner to see if he was feeling better. Janus  _ knew _ that Remus still cared. That this tiny interaction meant literally nothing.

But on top of everything else—the allergies that were making his skin alternate between hot and cold, the painful sinuses, the prospect of work that he was certainly not in any state to get done, and the hurtful dismissal from the Light Sides—that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Janus squeezed the pillow tighter and broke down sobbing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Janus gets hugs, and Remus is a good friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This…is not edited. At all. I will probably edit everything once this is finished.
> 
> Also, Janus's situation is pretty similar to my own (even if, thankfully, my symptoms are not as bad as his). Basically, literally all my symptoms were things I experience with allergies, so it was ridiculously hard to tell whether or not I was really sick.
> 
> The morning after, I started thinking I had strep throat., Then I got a test done.
> 
> Guess who got diagnosed with COVID?
> 
> So, I'm mostly fine now, except for the fact that one of the stupid medicines I take as a stupid side affect called increasing my stupid anxiety. I was up until 2 am (and eventually fell asleep after over an hour of sending cool facts to my friend in an attempt to tire myself out). So not only is this unedited, but it is also written with a tired brain. Idk.
> 
> Also, this now has four parts. :)

Janus felt himself began to shake violently, his teeth chattering hard enough to make his head pound as sobs racked his body. He gripped the pillow tightly in an attempt to muffle his whimpers, feeling the fabric start to grow wet.

Before he knew what was happening, he felt gentle hands on him, lifting him slightly before settling him down halfway on somebody’s lap. Fingers started running through his hair as another hand ran itself up and down his back.

More than anything, Janus wanted the day to end. Every breath he took simply made his sinuses  _ burn _ , and his throat already felt like it was being carved up with broken glass.  _ Goddamn allergies…. _

_ Have fun being alone, forever. _

_ Worthless. _

_ Virgil left you. _

_ All you do is hurt people. _

_ Remus will leave you, too. _

_ You’re not going to have anyone left. _

The thought only made him cry harder; the idea of losing his best friend being worse than anything else.

_ You destroyed your own friendship with him. Why would he want you around? You destroy everything you come into contact with. You hurt Virgil, you hurt Remus, you hurt Thomas. _

“Janus?”

He stiffened unintentionally at the sound of his name, suddenly realizing that Remus was present, hugging him, and witnessing his breakdown-in-progress. 

“…What?” he asked shakily, hating how his voice wavered. He kept his face buried in the pillow in an attempt to hide his tears from Remus, despite the fact that the other likely knew what was going on anyway.

“You wanna tell me whose body needs decapitating?”

God, he really didn’t deserve someone like Remus. Janus shook his head and choked out a sob, feeling mortified when it sent him into a coughing fit. Remus rubbed his back, shushing him softly.

Janus certainly didn’t lean into the touch.

“You want me to distract you? Or do you just wanna stay like this for a bit?”

“I—I don’—” Janus sniffled, trying to speak through his chattering teeth and pressing a hand to his head. “I don’t  _ know _ , I’m sorry—”

“Hey, hey, shh,” Remus whispered, tightening his grip and rocking him slightly. “It’s okay, Janus. I was just joking about disowning you. I’m not going anywhere, ‘kay? Imma be sticking to you like flesh-eating bacteria on skin.”

Janus whimpered, shifting so that his face and the pillow were now pressed against Remus’s shoulder. The fabric was making it hard to breathe through his already-congested nose, only raising his frustrated tears.

“I’m so—I’m  _ sorry _ ,” he choked out. “I—I’m bad for  _ you _ —a-and for…for  _ Thomas _ —”

“Hold up for a second, Jan—what?” Remus asked, his voice close to Janus’s ear. “Where’d ya get a ridiculous idea like that? You’re probably the only reason he’s still sane, thanks to the idiot others.”

“But—but they  _ said _ —” Janus hesitated, not sure if he wanted to tell his friend. However, he was also exhausted, physically and mentally, sore, congested, in pain, and too tired to give a damn.

“What’d they say, Janus?” Remus asked, voice dangerous.

“My job…is it r-really  _ worthless _ ?” he asked timidly while trying to force himself to stop crying. “I–I don’t—”

_ “I’m going to fucking kill them.” _

The dark tone Remus used was enough to shock Janus into lifting his face and staring at his friend in surprise, forgotten tears silently rolling down his cheeks. At the look on his face, Remus softened, shifting from angry to concerned but looking no less serious. 

“Who said that, Jay?” he asked softly, rubbing a hand up and down the other’s back soothingly.

He sniffled. “R-roman. I’m sorry—I…I know he’s your brother—”

Remus snarled. “Like hell he is.  _ You’re _ my brother, Janus. You’re the one who always sits with me when the thoughts get bad, even in the middle of the night. You patch me up when I’m injured. You’re the one who celebrates my birthday every year. You’re the only one who knows my favorite cake, my favorite food, my favorite soda. We tease each other and we mess around, but you’re  _ always _ here for me, and I’m always here for you. You’re more of family to me than Roman will  _ ever _ be. I love you, okay?”

Janus could not help but give a weak smile during Remus’s rant, hiding his face in the pillow again as he blushed. “Love you too, Ree.” Another chill ran through him and he shivered violently. “T-thanks for…for t-t-that. And…” _ Cursed teeth chattering.  _ “S-sorry for breaking down…on y-you l…like tha-at—” He found himself cutting himself off as a round of coughs struck him.  _ Goddamn fucking allergies. _

Remus frowned. “First—never apologize for that. Second—do you need some water or something?” Janus managed to nod through his coughing, and Remus summoned a bottle and handed it to him.

“Thanks,” he said a few minutes later, once the coughing had died down. He leaned his head on Remus’s shoulder, relishing in the heat that the other gave off.

“You’re pretty flushed, and I don’t mean like crying flushed,” Remus observed. “And you’re shaking, and coughing, and your teeth are chattering. You sick or something?”

Janus sniffed. “Just allergies.”

Remus raised an eyebrow. “No, dude, I think you might be sick.”

Janus scoffed. “Am not.”

“Oh, really?” Remus challenged, summoning a thermometer. “So you won’t mind if I take your temperature?” When Janus opened his mouth to answer, he shoved the thermometer inside, not waiting for an answer.

“I get feverish with allergies,” Janus protested, talking around the thermometer but nevertheless keeping it secured under his tongue. “And I’m always cold.”

“You shouldn’t talk with that in your mouth. Also, you’re not usually  _ this _ cold. And what about sneezing and coughing?”   
  


“Sneezing and coughing happen whenever I have bad allergies.”  
  
“Congestion? And does your throat hurt?”  
  
Janus rolled his eyes. “I’m congested whenever I forget to take allergy medicine. Same with throat pain.”  
  


The thermometer beeped and Remus removed it.  _ 101.2 _ . “There’s a difference between feeling feverish and having an actual fever, Janus.”

Janus felt his face flush, this time from embarrassment. “I am  _ not _ sick.”

“Hmm…” Remus said, mock-thinking. “Nope. Here’s what we’re gonna do:  _ you _ are going to take a shower, because for some unimaginable reason, you like feeling clean, and I’m willing to bet you feel icky right now. We’ll eat dinner, and then we’ll do something fun together. How does that sound?”

That…did sound good. Especially the part about the shower. Janas nodded, smiling faintly. 

“M’kay,” Remus said, giving him a final squeeze and peeling himself away from Janus. “Call if you need help. I don’t wanna find you passed out in the shower!”

Janus slowly stood up as Remus sauntered into the kitchen. He felt embarrassed from his breakdown…but he could not deny the warm feeling of being loved that flooded through him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it this far, congratulations! Have imaginary soup. It's chicken noodle, but I also have veggie soup if you're vegetarian or vegan. There is also chicken corn soup. :) 
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments! :D
> 
> –Bella


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get better. Then they get worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellooooooo. Once again, this chapter is completely unedited. And frankly, it is written stream-of-consciousness style (the fact that Im about to go to sleep after posting this does not help either). I'm definitely going to edit this work eventually, but probably not until after I finish it. 
> 
> For once I wrote fluff! I think. I'm pretty sure its fluff lol.
> 
> Also this is so random but I am so happy because ITS SNOWING AND IT NEVER SNOWS HERE! I live somewhere just as bad as Florida when it comes to the cold, and its only snowed twice in my whole life and not very much. BUT ITS GONNA SNOW TONIGHT AND IM SO EXCITED :DDDDD
> 
> Anyway...
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)

The steam from the shower—which, admittedly, may have been just a  _ tad _ too hot—helped to partially ease his congestion, which in turn eased his headache. He also stopped feeling as feverish and cold.

_ For someone who advocates for jumping out of moving cars, Remus can give very good advice when he wants to, _ Janus thought to himself as he put on a set of simple cotton pajamas—soft yellow and black pants and a matching long-sleeved shirt, given to him by Remus years ago. He added some black slipper socks and grabbed a thin cotton throw as he headed for the kitchen.

He was greeted by the sight of Remus stirring a pot on the stove and singing I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead by Set it Off. Janus smiled at the sight of Remus acting so…so Remus-like. 

_ I’ll always have Remus, at least. _

“Jay!” Remus cheered, noticing his friend in the doorway. “C’mon, let’s dance!”

Janus smiled as Remus took his hands and started leading him around the kitchen—really, they were more holding hands and walking in random patterns while waving their arms back and forth—but it was fun.

_ “—I guess I’ll sleep when I’m dead!” _ Remus finished singing with a laugh. “Speaking of death, how ya feeling, Snakey?”

“Less horrible,” Janus admitted, and it was true. He was starting to feel congested again, but he was feeling both physically and mentally better. 

“Great!” Remus said, seeming genuinely happy to hear it. “I made some chicken corn soup, and some”—as if on cue, the oven dinged—“brownies!” He lowered his voice comically. “They’re from a box, but we’re going to ignore that fact, ‘kay?”

Janus chuckled. “Thank you, Remus. Really, you didn’t have to do this—”

“Ah-ah-ah!” Remus chirped, putting a finger over Janus’s lips. “You’ve done  _ way _ more for me over much smaller things. We’re family, Jay. I’m doing this cuz I want to, so stop looking at me like I single-handedly gave you the stars.”

Janus blushed but smirked. “Well, if that’s the case, would you like to get started on the movie?”

“You read my mind!”

Remus snapped himself into his own pajamas—a matching set to Janus’s, but in his own colors—and shot Janus a grin as he poured the soup into two bowls. He added ungodly amounts of hot sauce into his own before vanishing the entire bottle of the stuff, much to Janus’s chagrin. 

“You know it’s not a good idea to eat too much hot sauce while sick,” Remus commented when he saw Janus’s expression. “You can add a  _ little  _ vinegar and soy sauce, and some salt and pepper, but no hot sauce.”

“Mother hen,” Janus grumbled, fighting a laugh at his friend’s behavior. He supposed that knowing so much about the various ways disease could kill you only made Remus more protective over those he cared for. It  _ totally _ wasn’t sweet. Not at all.

They prepared their bowls of soup and set several blankets and pillows out for them to sit on. Within minutes, they were leaning against one another and commenting on the dark possibilities behind Disney and Pixar movies. Or rather, Remus was commenting and Janus was listening, barely managing to refrain from falling asleep on the spot.

Less than half an hour in, he found himself lying with his head in Remus’s lap, half-eaten soup bowl and barely-touched brownie set carefully aside. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was Remus’s fingers gently running through his hair and the sound of Moana singing in the background.

———————————————————————————————————————

Janus awoke feeling both better and worse than before.

He did not feel as chilly, which was a major bonus in his books, and he did not feel as sore either. On the other hand, however, simply swallowing felt as though he was eating broken glass, and he felt much more tired. He was still congested, but it mostly drained into his throat—which unfortunately meant he had to swallow a  _ lot _ .

He was in his room, in his bed—Remus had probably put him there. Groaning internally, he slowly pushed himself upright, wincing as his head spun. Janus sniffed and stood slowly and carefully, taking the blanket with him as he went to brush his teeth. Unfortunately, the strong taste of mint did little to help his throat.

He forced himself to walk the short distance from the bathroom to the kitchen, collapsing against the counter. A moment later, he felt a hand against his shoulder. “Janus? How’re ya feeling?”

Janus winced. “Eh…” he muttered quietly, not wanting to speak. “Throat hurts.”

Remus hummed sympathetically and wrapped an arm around his waist, pressing the back of his hand against Janus’s forehead. “You still have a fever, too. Anything else feel different?”

Janus shrugged. “Tired.”

He closed his eyes as Remus led him to the kitchen table. “Wait here for like five seconds, m’kay?” he said. “I’ll be back before you can say ‘rat’s ass.’”

Janus had no idea how much time had truly passed, but the next thing he knew, Remus was back in front of him. “Can you open your mouth for me?  _ Super _ wide, like you’re about to suck a giant—”

Janus smacked Remus playfully—really, more of a tap than a hit—and conceded, even as his eyes were sliding shut. A horrifying moment later, something was shoved into his mouth and his eyes flew open as he gagged, coughing. His eyes watered from the pain as Remus rubbed his shoulder and removed the goddamn popsicle stick— _ why had Remus shoved a popsicle stick down his throat?! _

“Imma test the bacteria,” Remus told him, reading his expression. “I have a machine in the Imagination that’ll identify whatever this is, and then I can help you get better.” He winced. “Sorry about the stick, though. It was either that or one up your nose, and those  _ hurt _ .”

Janus made an  _ okay _ sign with his hand and closed his eyes again, not wanting to even stay awake. 

“Wait, Jay, you can’t sleep until you—”

Janus fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, things will get better in the next chapter :) Janus won't stay sick forever.
> 
> Also, tests where something gets stuck up your nose SUCKS. I had to take another COVID test today. They are not fun :(
> 
> Feel free to comment and take some brownies :) They taste good with ice cream (especially when you eat them literally straight of the pan with practically frozen solid ice cream. I may or may not speak from experience :))


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo hoo, this is out. I mean, it's INCREDIBLY rough, but the editing shall all come later :)
> 
> I may or may not be posting this from school—
> 
> AND WE FINALLY GOT OUR FIRST JANUS AND REMUS INTERACTION! DUKECIET/PLATONIC DUKECEIT FANS, HOW WE FEELING?! I know I'm feeling AMAZING with this :)

The first thing Janus was aware of was the blankets surrounding him.

The sheets beneath him were cool, whereas the covers on top were heavy and warm. The second thing to come back was his hearing—a gentle humming had filled the air. A moment later he became aware of the hand in his hair.

He opened his eyes.

Janus was met with the sight of Remus’s relieved expression staring down at him—was his head in his lap? Slowly, he attempted to sit up, Remus assisting him and making sure he moved slowly.

“I—” Janus winced, his pain spiking through his throat when he attempted to speak. Remus held up a hand, signalling him to stop speaking, and gave him a small mug full of a warm liquid.

“Sip it slowly,” he instructed. Janus obeyed, surprised at the slightly salty liquid that filled his mouth. “Chicken broth,” Remus explained at the sight of Janus’s confused expression.

“Wha’ happ’ned?” Janus croaked out. Hadn’t he already woken up for the day? Why had he gone back to sleep?

“You fell asleep,” Remus told him. “I tested the bacteria, too. Congratulations, you’ve got strep throat!” Despite his words, his tone and expression was sympathetic. Janus hummed in acknowledgment, leaning his head on his friend’s shoulder as Remus put an arm around him.

“I don’ like bein’ sick,” he whispered.

“I know, Jay,” Remus whispered back. “But imma help you get better, m’kay?” He squeezed him tightly before drawing away. “I’ll be back in a minute with some food.”

Janus nodded weakly as Remus ran out of the room. He was sick and miserable, but at least he wasn’t alone.

He had Remus, and he was in good hands.

———————————————————————————————————————

Some food.

“Some” food.

Clearly, Janus and Remus needed to have a discussion about what “some” food meant.

Janus smiled faintly at the tray piled high with food—cream of wheat, pancakes, warm milk, toast, and eggs. “You better help me eat this,” he murmured. “It’s a lot.”

Remus grinned. “Sure thing, Snakey.” He pulled two plates out of nowhere and joined Janus on the bed, sitting shoulder to shoulder and putting the tray across both their laps. Remus shoveled eggs and pancakes onto his plate and Janus took some cream of wheat, thankful that Remus had thought to include a softer option of food. He didn’t think he could handle anything overly flavorful and rough.

Remus chattered on as the two ate, discussing his latest expeditions in the Imagination and his plans for next week, when Janus and Remus would stop by. After all, Remus himself may have been the ruler of the kingdom, but Janus was his advisor. The two of them worked together to manage the innerworks of Thomas’s mind—the area where dreams and more creative thought formed.

Breakfast ended with Janus having to drink a spoonful of violet-colored liquid at Remus’s insistence—the abominable medicine was made of a sorry excuse for grape flavoring—but nevertheless, Janus could not deny that even with the misery from being sick, he was feeling much better than the previous day. He was still angry at the others, of course, but he no longer felt intrinsically worthless. No longer felt as though he was less than them.

And just in time, too, seeing as he found himself being summoned without so much as a moment’s notice.

Too surprised to resist, Janus found himself and Remus—who had an arm around his shoulders while showing him a video of an interesting squid—appearing in Thomas’s living room. With both Patton and Logan present.

No amounts of Remus support™ could make the conversation easier. At least Roman and Virgil were not there to add fuel to the inevitable fire.

“What’s up, sluts?” Remus asked casually, keeping an arm around Janus and kicking his feet into his lap. “Since when do you need us around?”

Patton winced. “Well, kiddo—we wanted to apologize to Janus. For how Roman and Virgil acted yesterday, and for how we didn’t say anything.”

Logan nodded, looking ever-so-slightly guilty. “We stood by and allowed them to be rude, doing nothing ourselves to put an end to the issue, despite how you appeared to be in distress.”

Thomas simply shrugged, scratching the back of his head. “Truth be told, I had no idea about any of this, but I agreed to summon you because I was worried. You okay after yesterday?”

Janus was, to put it lightly, shocked. They—they actually cared about him? Not just about his ability to do his job, but about  _ he himself _ ? How he felt?

How long had it been since anyone but Remus had cared?

Green-painted fingernails snapped in front of his face, drawing his attention back to reality. Speak of the devil, Remus watching him with an unreadable expression. Janus knew that he was waiting for a signal—he would step in, if necessary, but would otherwise stand by Janus and support him as he fought the battle himself.

“Apology accepted,” he found himself croaking out. “Water under the bridge.”

“But it’s  _ not _ okay!” Patton exclaimed, looking upset. “What Roman and Virgil said was  _ completely _ uncalled for, and you shouldn’t act like it didn’t affect you when it  _ clearly _ did. Don’t lie about your feelings, Janus.”

Oh, the sheer irony of that sentence. Nevertheless, Janus was not in the mood to fight. 

“You are not responsible for anyone else’s actions,” he said. “I am accepting your apology, not Roman’s nonexistent one. The two of you are much nic—” Janus was cut off as he was seized by another round of painful coughs.

_ Embarrassment and humiliation, if you are capable of killing, now would be a  _ great _ time. _

He could feel Remus shifting himself, kneeling behind him and rubbing up and down his back as he tried to calm the coughing. In his peripherals, he saw the other three watching him with alarmed glances, but he could not find it in himself to care.

“Easy, Jay,” Remus whispered into his ear. Janus squeezed his eyes shut, another wave of exhaustion washed over him as the invisible needles in his throat pricked and prodded.

“Is…everything all right?” Logan asked awkwardly as Janus practically collapsed backwards onto Remus once he caught his breath. 

“Yup!” Janus felt more than heard Remus say, voice strained with obviously false cheer—essentially his more subtle version of, “say one wrong word, your brains are gonna be painted on the wall.” 

Unfortunately, Logan was not the best at understanding emotional signals.

“You appear to be flushed, Janus.”  _ Logan, please shut up. _ “And your cough sounded rather…congested.”

Patton gasped. “Kiddo, are you sick?”

“ _ No _ , not at all,” Janus insisted. It would have been much more believable had Remus not been practically supporting his weight.

“Remus, is Janus sick?” Logan asked with a raised eyebrow. Remus hesitated, clearly torn between telling the truth and preserving his friend’s lie. However, his silence told the other three everything they needed to know.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Thomas asked sadly. 

Patton nodded earnestly. “We could have helped you!”

Janus scoffed, and hid his face Remus’s clothes in an attempt to hide his disbelief. “Right. Sure.  _ Totally _ .”

“Care to clarify?”

This time, Remus spoke up. “What he means is that you bitches would have probably done  _ shit _ . Yeah, sure, you might feel bad about not interfering with Roman and Virgil’s commentary this time, but what about all the other times? What about every other time you’ve ignored him? Scorned him? Do you  _ really  _ think he would go to you for  _ help _ after all of that?”

Silence.

“Ree…” Janus said softly. “It’s okay.”

“But it’s  _ not _ !” he insisted, sounding upset. “They  _ hurt _ you, Jay,  _ so much _ —”

“Please—” Janus said. “Just—not right now.”  _ I don’t have the energy for an argument right now. _ Luckily, Remus seemed to understand what he was trying to say.

There was a clearing of someone’s throat. 

“Janus,” Patton said quietly. “Remus is right. We  _ all _ owe you an apology.”

“Can we”—Janus cut himself off with a cough—“just do this later?”

“I…of course, Janus,” Logan replied. “In the meanwhile, is there anything we can do to help? Can I ask what is ailing you?”

Janus zoned out as Remus reluctantly explained the full situation of the strep throat. Really, he was just so  _ tired _ —

“You wanna take a nap, Jay?” he heard Remus ask softly, brushing the hair out of his forehead. He nodded.

“Being out here is likely strenuous. You should probably take him back to his room so he can sleep.”

“Yeah, and I’ll bring the Kiddo some soup later today!”

“Tell Janus that we hope he feels better.”

The next thing he knew, Remus had sunk out with him, and he found himself being placed within comfortable sheets. Lips pressed softly against his forehead. “Sleep well, Jay.”

Janus mumbled out an incoherent reply, warm with the feeling of knowing he mattered—not just to his brother, but to Logan, Patton, and Thomas.

They  _ cared _ about him.

And with that thought, Janus fell asleep with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments! After all, there is only one chapter left :)
> 
> Thank you for reading! Have some sandwiches. I have grilled cheese, grilled chicken, chicken salad, and chipotle chicken (with avocado)!
> 
> Also, this is so random, but have any of you ever heard of the songs:  
> -Blackout, by Solace  
> -Lost, by Our Last Night (the acoustic version)  
> Idk, they just really remind me of platonic Dukeceit.

**Author's Note:**

> If you've made it this far, congratulations! Have an imaginary cookie! Except for snickerdoodle, I already ate them all.
> 
> Feel free to comment anything!
> 
> Idk, I might add a part two. I probably will proofread this and edit it later. Assuming I actually have the time.
> 
> Honestly I don't even know how much of this I will remember tomorrow lol.
> 
> Also I have Tumblr now :)
> 
> https://i-am-bella-donna.tumblr.com


End file.
